Holiday tournaments not always a holiday

By Phillip Gardner

Published: Thursday, January 3, 2013 at 10:38 PM.

The last year the East Lincoln tournament received corporate support was 2009 when Fifth Third Bank paid $5,000 for the naming rights. Since then, the tournament has charged competing teams an entry fee to help cover costs. That entry fee this year amounted to $125 per team, which Ashley said has not deterred any school that’s been invited.

Expenses for the East Lincoln tournament included $3,600 for officials (the fee is set by the N.C. High School Athletic Association), $1,100 for security and another several thousand dollars on hospitality room and staff such as scorekeepers and gatekeepers.

Between the entry fee and fan admission ($8 per day or $21 for a three-day pass), the tournament brought in enough revenue to break even, Ashley said.

“And that’s all I hope to do: make enough to have a quality tournament where everybody’s happy with good competition,” Ashley said. “So far, so good.”

Ashley wants to regain a sponsor for next season. At the peak of sponsorship, the tournament provided gifts such as sweaters to the coaches, gave a T-shirt to each player and returned a profit of $200 to $350 per team.

At Cherryville, the renamed Bud Black/Dennis Tate Holiday Classic didn’t have a title sponsor but did collect numerous smaller donations from businesses and individuals.

“Every 25 dollars or so adds up,” said Black, a Cherryville boys assistant coach who has organized the tournament each year.

Without holiday tournaments, local basketball teams would have some serious rust to brush off on Friday. As conference action resumes across the area, a full slate of games ends what otherwise would have been a two-week break from basketball.

Coaches cringe at the idea of inactivity for so long, and they can accomplish only so much with practice. That’s where these tournaments fit in, as they offer not only a chance to play actual games, but to do so in a tournament setting, providing an experience that can pay off when the postseason arrives.

Putting these events together each year, though, can be tricky for tournament organizers and not always profitable.

Tournaments at Cherryville and East Lincoln went by without title sponsors this season, forcing the hosts to cut corners to stay in the black financially. Meanwhile, Peoples Bank continued to sponsor the tournament that was Lincolnton’s turn to host this year.

Sun Drop and BB&T have previously sponsored the Cherryville tournament, which first started in 1981 and just completed its 20th edition, having not held the tournament from 1984 to 1995. Lincoln Bank, First Charter Bank and Fifth Third Bank have formerly paid for the title sponsorship of the East Lincoln tournament, which was held for a 23rd consecutive year last week.

The banks paid anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 to sponsor the East Lincoln tournament, which was renamed the East Lincoln Winter Jam for the past three seasons after corporate support dried up.

“Everybody I talked to said, ‘I’d love to help but with the economy we can’t do it,’” said organizer Chip Ashley, assistant coach for East Lincoln’s varsity boys team.

The last year the East Lincoln tournament received corporate support was 2009 when Fifth Third Bank paid $5,000 for the naming rights. Since then, the tournament has charged competing teams an entry fee to help cover costs. That entry fee this year amounted to $125 per team, which Ashley said has not deterred any school that’s been invited.

Expenses for the East Lincoln tournament included $3,600 for officials (the fee is set by the N.C. High School Athletic Association), $1,100 for security and another several thousand dollars on hospitality room and staff such as scorekeepers and gatekeepers.

Between the entry fee and fan admission ($8 per day or $21 for a three-day pass), the tournament brought in enough revenue to break even, Ashley said.

“And that’s all I hope to do: make enough to have a quality tournament where everybody’s happy with good competition,” Ashley said. “So far, so good.”

Ashley wants to regain a sponsor for next season. At the peak of sponsorship, the tournament provided gifts such as sweaters to the coaches, gave a T-shirt to each player and returned a profit of $200 to $350 per team.

At Cherryville, the renamed Bud Black/Dennis Tate Holiday Classic didn’t have a title sponsor but did collect numerous smaller donations from businesses and individuals.

“Every 25 dollars or so adds up,” said Black, a Cherryville boys assistant coach who has organized the tournament each year.

The tournament has never operated financially in the red, Black said. Like East Lincoln’s tournament, this one features 24 games over a three-day stretch, which runs up a $3,600 bill for officials. Other expenses include security and staff. Out-of-town teams (and the Cherryville tournaments includes several of those each year) must pay for their own lodging.

To keep costs down, Cherryville’s coaches volunteer some of the work, such as gym cleanup each day. A fund that Black’s family has contributed to over the years also helps with expenses where needed. Even without a title sponsor this season, Black said everything works out financially.

“I’ve had no problem since I’ve been doing it,” Black said. “You’ve just got to take the time. I enjoy it.”

The Peoples Bank Holiday Clash generated around $5,000 for Lincolnton, this year’s host, Lincolnton athletic director Scott Cloninger estimated. Peoples Bank contributed $1,500 for the title sponsorship and renewed its contract for four more years.

The two-day, eight-game tournament has expenses of $1,200 for officials and $600 for security. Volunteers work the gate, concession stand and other jobs, and local restaurants supply food for the hospitality room. Admission is $6 and participating teams do not pay an entry fee. The tournament site rotates among the participating schools (Lincolnton, North Lincoln, West Lincoln and Bandys) and the host keeps the proceeds each year.

These tournaments don’t always go on without a hitch. Ashbrook’s girls found themselves in an unusual situation when the tournament they entered expanded from six teams to eight teams days before the tournament. The Bank of York/Wing Bonz Varsity Girls Basketball Tournament asked teams to play two games on the first of two days, something that violates N.C. High School Athletic Association rules.

Ashbrook won its first game but was unable to play its second game, missing out on a chance to reach the championship. The Green Wave wound up going 2-0 in the tournament, with Alexis Wallace scoring 38 total points and Logan Carter 33.

“For those girls, all they wanted to do was play,” Ashbrook coach Juan Smith said. “After they knew how things were going to go, it was a great situation for all of us because of the cohesiveness it created with these girls.”

And that’s why basketball teams spend a good chunk of their Christmas break on the court.

“I don’t see how teams do it (without entering a tournament),” Ashley said. “We kind of use this tournament as a springboard going into the heart of our conference season. It lets us know where we’re at. It’s done nothing but help our kids over the years and I can’t imagine our kids not playing over the break.”